Medan to light all layers

Medan to light all layers

MEDAN, North Sumatra: The Medan administration is insisting on
carrying out a project to light all alleys in the North Sumatra
capital with 65,000 lamps at the end of 2003, despite power
shortages.

The project, however, will likely be stalled owing to a
limited power supply, with a deficit of 150 megawatts for the
next four months, according to state electricity company PLN in
Medan.

Maradjohan Tarigan, spokesman for PLN's northern Sumatra
distribution network, told The Jakarta Post the company had just
started to overhaul the turbines of its gas power generator in
Belawan regency, which is responsible for the shortages.

"When the additional supply of 16 megawatts from PT Arun and
40 megawatts from PT Inalum is realized to cover the power
deficit, the city alley illumination project will not be a
problem," he said.

Maradjohan said that if power was to be distributed for the
city's illumination project now, the supply for households and
factories would have to be cut.

Randiman Tarigan, head of the Medan planning office, said the
project should go ahead because the administration had already
installed around 20,000 lamps and had procured another 3,000.
--JP